Whitney Houston

Born: 9 August 1963 Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey Best Known As: Top-selling pop artist since the mid-1980s Houston was one of the biggest female pop music stars of the 1980s and 1990s. The daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, Whitney had a modelling career in her teens and was signed by Arista Records in 1983. In 1985 she released her first album, Whitney Houston, a Grammy-winner and international hit; her second album, 1987's Whitney, debuted at #1 on the charts. Throughout the 1990s Houston continued to sell millions of records, with hit singles such as "My Love is Your Love" and a cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You." Houston has also appeared in lead roles in feature films, including The Bodyguard (1992, with Kevin Costner) and The Preacher's Wife (1996, with Denzel Washington). A spokesman for Houston says there is no truth to the September 2001 rumor that Houston is dead of a drug overdose... Houston married singer Bobby Brown in 1992, and their stormy relationship became fodder for the tabloids... Houston is the cousin of singer Dionne Warwick.